EXPERIMENTS GN LAND.

Oxford Observer, Volume VI, Issue VI, 15 June 1895, Page 3

EXPERIMENTS GN LAND.

In view of the exceptional productiveness of this colony, too much attention cannot possibly be given t 0

„ the [Carrying out of a system, .oi experiments on land. We must not lose sight of tiie ftct t' at m this country lar too much reliance is placed on the quality of the soil. „ It is well to re-_ Tnember that,; altho^h__ojirlitobk appear to fc^dr-srellTthat food may ba -utiß^islactory,.and m the 03s of dairy cows the flavour of the butter . and cheese and any other product of the dairy depends to a great extent upon the class of food that the cows eat. Now, as no better food', can be given them than a gojd variety of proper grasses and welhgrown roots and fodder crops, I would strongly recommend that the land should .be tested thoroughly as to its suitability for growing certain kinds of crops m tho newly-cleared districts. As New Zealand possesses, perhaps., a greater range of climates than any other country of its size, while the remarkable fecundity of the soil renders it capable of growing almost anything, I feel confident that a series of experiments, distributed at intervals over the length and breadth of the colony, would produce results that might accepted as valuable to the workers of the land. To conduct such experiments io, say. one or two centres of the colony .would afford no gauge of the capabilities of the colony, but might prove very misleading. The experience gained elsewhere m organizing experiments has taught me that the more widely scattered they are the more interest is taken m them, and the likelihood is greater of good ■ results being produced. Such experiments as suggested may be carried out at small expense, and without involving much trouble.